The men had just finished their thick steaks and were starting to smoke cigars while artichoke hearts warmed on the grill. A plate of mooncakes awaited them nearby.
On a sunny afternoon in the backyard of his home in the hills of Orange, Van Tran...

The men had just finished their thick steaks and were starting to smoke cigars while artichoke hearts warmed on the grill. A plate of mooncakes awaited them nearby.
On a sunny afternoon in the backyard of his home in the hills of Orange, Van Tran...

SACRAMENTO — Contests for seats on the state tax board are typically low-profile affairs, but a battle between two lawmakers for one of the posts is shaping up as an ugly fight.
Assemblywoman Diane Harkey (R-Dana Point) and state Sen. Mark...

SACRAMENTO -- The state Senate Education Committee recommended Wednesday that California voters be asked to repeal Proposition 227, the 1998 initiative that requires public school instruction in English.
The proposal to restore bilingual education...

SACRAMENTO -- Administrators from California’s two public university systems called Wednesday for the state to provide student loans to some immigrants in the country illegally to cover expenses not met with state scholarships.
UC President Janet Napolitano and Sacramento State President Alexander Gonzalez said their university systems are backing legislation creating the loan program, which will cost the state and campuses up to $9.1 million the first year.
Napolitano noted that the state...

SACRAMENTO -- An unusually bitter contest between two Republicans for a seat on the state's tax board came to an end Friday, with state Sen. Mark Wyland (R-Escondido) announcing he is dropping out of the race.
Wyland had been battling with Assemblywoman Diane Harkey (R-Dana Point) for a post on the Board of Equalization, and over the last year the race had become increasingly personal.
Wyland put front and center the legal troubles of Harkey's husband, Dan Harkey, an investor who was sued by some...

SACRAMENTO -- While a state Senate panel considers further restrictions on gifts, California lawmakers reported Monday receiving thousands of dollars in sports tickets, meals, amusement park entries and other gifts, many from special interests that lobby state government.
The annual statements of economic interest for 2013 were filed Monday with the state Fair Political Practices Commission and show each state official's financial assets as well as gifts from sources that try to influence the...

The state Senate voted Tuesday to ask California voters to repeal a ban on bilingual education in the state, saying children in other countries are successfully learning multiple languages.
The senate voted to put a measure on the ballot in November 2016 that would repeal major parts of Proposition 227, the 1998 ballot measure approved by voters that requires schools to teach in English.
“Children who participate in multilingual programs not only outperform their peers, they also have higher...

California officials would have to say “no” if offered free tickets to a Beyoncé concert, Dodgers game or Disneyland, under new gift rules approved Monday by the state Senate.
The new rules, which were sent Monday to the Assembly for consideration, would also mean no more free golf games at Pebble Beach, ski trips to Mammoth Mountain or spa treatments in Carmel.
The restrictions, which would also ban gifts from lobbyists and reduce from $440 to $200 the maximum value of other gifts that...

The state Senate on Thursday approved a measure requiring cellphones sold in California to be equipped with “kill switches” that make them inoperable if stolen.
LAPD Chief Charlie Beck and other law enforcement officials backed the legislation as a way to reduce robberies, many of them violent, in which thieves take smartphones to resell them.
“We have a crime wave sweeping our state,” Sen. Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) told his colleagues. “We are trying to keep our...